


Chemicals React

by ZoneRobotnik



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, featuring keith being a hopeless gay, james got so swol keith is shook, krolia pls don't tease your son
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-07-05 01:01:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15853032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZoneRobotnik/pseuds/ZoneRobotnik
Summary: Keith thought he had no one back home on Earth. A series of flashbacks reminds him of who else matters to him besides Shiro.





	Chemicals React

**Author's Note:**

> Voltron Legendary Defender (c) Dreamworks & Netflix

A few weeks ago, Keith had worried that he wouldn't have enough time with his mother to tell her _anything_. Now, they'd learned so much about each other without even saying a word. The flashes of the future or past came suddenly, mostly the past, but at least things were in chronological order.  
  
Krolia saw year after year of Keith's life in flashes. His father's death, his meeting Shiro, his time at the Garrison...  
  
But, that wasn't all she saw. Keith's brow furrowed as he saw _him_. James Griffin. Their first meeting, at a zoo. Keith had tried to climb into the tiger exhibit to get a closer look and he'd been told off by a know-it-all kid that tugged him down and pointed to the sign, reading it out loud for everyone to hear _just in cause_ Keith didn't have _working_ _eyes_. Another family and a couple years later and they were in the same school. He was the delinquent. James was the teacher's pet and class president. They butted heads so often, sparks flew between them. He was the first person to ever get James Griffin sent to the principal's office.  
  
Then Shiro came and introduced them to the Garrison, and they entered together. Sparks still flew between them. In their early years, he did something that pissed James off and James had made a snide remark about his family – or lack of one. Keith punched him. James was told off for bringing that up. They apologized on command and kept their sparks to sharp tongues and competing grades.  
  
Shiro dragged them together so often they spent every weekend together, whether they wanted to or not. Then he left for Kerberos. They still spent weekends together. They walked in the halls together. As they got older, Keith started to notice how James' purple eyes seem to shine when he laughed. He noticed how firm his grip was when he placed it on Keith's shoulder. He noticed how they stared a little too long at each other one time and quickly looked away before going to get their trays.  
  
Keith and Krolia woke up after one of these visions featuring his old rival – yes, his rival. Not Lance. James. _James_ and Keith, neck and neck. How could he have forgotten? He'd spent so long with Lance, he'd completely forgotten about James Griffin.   
  
James Griffin, who looked so serious all the time but Keith knew just the right ways to make him laugh. James Griffin, who had visited him many times after he'd been expelled from the Galaxy Garrison.  
  
James Griffin, who he didn't get a proper chance to say “goodbye” to before he entered this war.  
  
“He was cute.” Krolia remarked, sitting back on her hands. “Does he like you as much as you like him?”  
  
“W-What?!” Keith jolted in place and looked at her.  
  
“You're obvious, Keith.” She smiled at him. “I may not have known you long, but I can tell how you feel about him. You couldn't be any more obvious if these were rose-tinted.”  
  
Keith felt his face heat up and he buried his face in his hands. “K-Kroliaaa...”  
  
She placed her hand on his shoulder. “So? Are you going to tell me if that goes anywhere, or do I have to wait to see it for myself?”  
  
Keith looked up at the source of the visions with a sour expression. “It...it did. We...we did...stuff. Let's hope you don't _see_ that, that would be embarrassing.”  
  
“Well, we can't control what it shows us.” She shrugged.  
  
Keith nodded, pursing his lips. James aside, though it's sure to be on his mind for a _long time_ now that he remembers him again, what was that weird vision about Shiro? He looked...strange. And what was that place? How far in the future _was_ that?  
  
“Well, let's get back to fixing up our home here.” Krolia got up and walked off.  
  
Keith nodded again, getting up.  
  
Now that he had him on his mind, he had to wonder how James was doing. Was he still at the Garrison? Maybe he would become the youngest Officer in the history of the Galaxy Garrison. Thinking of him wearing the same uniform that Shiro wore was...actually kind of _arousing_. Which made him really glad his mother already walked off, because this outfit left nothing to the imagination and hid nothing.  
  
He had to get back to Earth. For so long, he thought he'd had nothing back there, caught up in the war, but remembering James was like a wave washing over sand. And he kind of _really_ wanted to introduce him to his mom.   
  
**–**  
  
Learning Earth had been attacked was as bad as learning Shiro had died and been in the Black Lion for his entire time as the Black Paladin up until now. As bad as learning he'd been gone for three deca-pheobs and the Blade of Mamora had been mostly slaughtered in his absence. The ache in his chest felt like his heart was threatening to burst out, and he walked the ruin of Plant City with the others, hoping for survivors to show up. Anything but this...wasteland.   
  
A bunch of round Galra drones appeared and they quickly started to fire on them. They barely took care of one when the rest were taken out by someone else, who came from behind a ruined building.   
  
“I had it!” Keith said gruffly, annoyed at his target being taken down for him.  
  
“The drones send distress signals when they're attacked.” The stranger said with a firm tone, his voice slightly muffled by the helmet he wore. “Our weapons neutralize those signals, so unless you wanna deal with a _swarm_ of those things, **let us handle it!** ”  
  
There was something... _familiar_ about the way he scolded them. Keith stared at the stranger with wonder in his eyes. Could it be...?  
  
“Now, let's out of here, before _more_ show up.” The stranger said as he walked to the parked hover-car.  
  
 **–**  
  
They arrived at the Galaxy Garrison and stepped out, taking off their helmets to greet Iverson. After the initial introductions, led by Sam Holt, were made, Keith felt familiar eyes on him and turned to see the guy that'd helped them before taking off his helmet.  
  
Oh. It was him.  
  
James.  
  
James Griffin.  
  
And he'd gotten _really hot_.   
  
It wasn't fair. Here Keith was hoping to impress him with how much he'd grown, but three years had passed to him while two had passed for Keith and he was still taller and his body was so fit and his eyes...  
  
He half-expected him to walk over and grab him, maybe kiss him. When he didn't do that, Keith watched him go and tuned out everything else as he tried to process what just happened – or didn't happen. That is, until Shiro placed his remaining arm on his shoulder.  
  
“He's really grown.” Shiro remarked.  
  
“Yeah.” Keith nodded.  
  
“Do you want to go talk to him?” Shiro asked quietly.  
  
Keith looked at the others, distracted by talking to Iverson about what had been happening to them, and then looked at Shiro to nod. Shiro patted his shoulder and smiled. “Go on, then. I'll see you when you're done.”  
  
“You don't...I mean...we...” Keith looked a bit hesitant.  
  
“Keith, I won't make you _choose_.” Shiro raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”  
  
What did _that_ mean? Keith nodded and headed after James.  
  
 **–**  
  
He found him in the hallway, leaning against the wall. He walked up to James and the other man looked up at him with an unreadable expression. “Kogane.”  
  
“Griffin.” Keith nodded in greeting.  
  
They stared at each other silently for a bit before Keith decided he'd had enough first. “I didn't _mean_ to leave.” He didn't know why he was defending himself, but he was. “If I could go back and do it again, I'd have told you! Heck, I would've _brought_ you! _God_ knows I could've used you out there! But, I...they had Shiro, and I--”  
  
“Keith.” James voice was soft. “I'm not...mad. I was worried. And now I'm not sure how to react to...this.” He gestured to Keith's armor. “That's a very form-fitting outfit.”  
  
“Heh, you should see my Blade of Mamora uniform.” Keith shrugged with a grin.  
  
“It's not regulation.” James looked to the side. “Neither is your hair. You just kept letting it grow longer and longer. You look like a girl.”  
  
“Any other comments?” Keith placed his hand on his hip, the other hand still holding his helmet.  
  
“You're beautiful.” James said softly. He glanced at him. “Even that scar...it's...something about it, it's very...it suits you.”  
  
Keith reached up to the scar on his right cheek. “Well...war is hell. Sometimes we get...souvenirs. Do I look...'badass'?” He brought his finger and thumb to frame his chin like how he'd seen Lance do many times.  
  
James stared blankly and then, to Keith's surprise, he started to laugh. “Please...never do that again. That was so horribly... _awkward_ on you.”  
  
“Heeey, I've been trying to be less...'lone wolf'.” Keith pouted.   
  
He was then caught off-guard when James turned and grabbed the collar of his chestplate, yanking him forward to press his lips to his. He blinked in surprise, then slowly closed his eyes and dropped his helmet, choosing instead to occupy both hands with wrapping around James and tangling one hand in his perfect hair while the other reached down to his hips.  
  
“ _God_ , I've missed you.” James murmured when they finally broke the kiss. “I thought you were _dead_ , and then Professor Holt showed up and told us you were _alive_ and leading something called 'Voltron' and--”  
  
“Stop talking, kiss me more.” Keith demanded, his hands roaming James' MFE armor to try to find out how to remove it.  
  
“Let's—let's—go—room—mine.” James managed to get out between kisses.  
  
Keith nodded and they went down the hall together, moving from kissing lips to kissing hands until they had to avoid people seeing them and then they just walked holding hands, fighting the urge to slam each other to the floor or the wall. Keith's helmet was left behind in the hallway.  
  
Shiro stepped out of the hanger and picked it up, sighing a bit. “That didn't take them long.” He remarked with a smile.  
  
 **–**  
  
They stumbled into James' room together and collapsed to the floor before James rolled them over and kissed him before getting up to close and lock the door. Keith sat up on his elbows and looked around.  
  
“A cadet uniform, still?” He commented, seeing it hanging up.  
  
“I didn't graduate.” James walked over and offered him a hand up, which he took. “We didn't...my team and I, we're still cadets. Maybe, once Earth is safe, we'll have a graduating ceremony but, even though we're Officers in name, we really aren't.”  
  
“Well, you'll get there.” Keith smiled encouragingly and started to unfasten his armor to take it off.  
  
“Well, look at you. A Garrison washout, but you're something so...so much more. A Paladin, and the leader, at that.”  
  
“Hey, you're a leader, too.” Keith smiled warmly and pecked his lips before he knelt to unfasten his boots. “We're still equals.”  
  
“If you say so.” James removed the armor over his bodysuit and then reached back to unzip it. Keith glanced up at him and swallowed as he took in just how much he'd bulked up in those three years. Gone was the skinny know-it-all nerd, this was...this was _amazing_.  
  
James noticed him looking and chuckled. “Like what you see, Kogane?” He flexed his arm and Keith felt his cheeks warm up.  
  
“Yes. _Oh_ yes.” Keith breathed, throwing his boots to the side and working on the rest of his armor before unzipping his bodysuit and throwing that to the aside as well. James, of course, had to neatly set his clothes to the side, and Keith resisting the urge to just push him down on the bed now. His patience paid off, James pulled him close and kissed him before turning him and pushing Keith down onto the bed, still kissing him as his body started to explore Keith's. Keith moaned softly as James' fingers brushed his ears and he had a vague recollection of hearing that Galra had _very_ sensitive ears.  
  
“I feel like I need to learn you all over again.” James murmured, his lips against Keith's. “But, I don't mind the thought of going back to school.” He pulled up a bit, looking down at him with flushed pink cheeks.  
  
“Same to you. For once, I'm eager to stay in class and learn all I can.” Keith grinned. “I'll be the _best_ teacher's pet.”  
  
“Well, then.” James smirked and kissed his neck. Keith gasped and leaned his head back. “Class is in session, so pay attention.”  
  
“Mm...you make education so damn _dirty_.” Keith purred.  
  
 **–**  
  
“So...” Lance looked at Keith awkwardly as he got out food. “Where did _those_ come from?”  
  
Keith tugged at the collar of his supplied cadet uniform that barely hid the highest hickey on his neck and gave a sly smile. “I went to class.”  
  
“You went to a _tutoring session_.” Shiro commented with a knowing smile, leaning against the counter nearby. “But, you and he can come to class anytime you want.”  
  
Lance looked confused and Keith's cheeks went a bit pink. Keith brought the glass of juice he'd poured to his lips and glanced at Shiro from behind it. “I'll be sure to let him know.”  
  
“Seriously, _what_ are you talking about?!” Lance asked, shaking his head.   
  
**End**

 

**Author's Note:**

> Shiro's bringing in the Jeiro.   
> Lance is confused af.   
> Keith is gonna have to find something to hide those.


End file.
